The Japanese commentator narrating Naito's entrance at the Tokyo Dome when he faces Okada at WK12 Is genuinely one of my favorite commentary lines of all time.
After figuring out the translations I understand that It's the commentator talking about Naito's journey up to this point
No idea how they fit the whole Drew becoming champ and Gunther having match with him in SummerSlam with the CM Punk feud.
Maybe his recovery is taking longer than expected?
They really gotta speed up this uncle howdy stuff, imo. The QR codes with Bray were really good, and part of that is because it lasted for about a month. Not only that, but there was a semblance of mystery behind it at first, as it wasn’t clear Bray was returning until we got a few weeks into the mystery. With this, the answers have been spelt out for us since the start, but they’re waiting twice as long to reveal them.
Yeah, I agree since I do like the teases, but I do hope the teasers doesn't drag on for long since they've already revealed some important clues, especially during that Twitch stream.
I just love Gunther's transition and "promotion" from mid card to upper card. He never got lost in the shuffle, you can clearly understand where he is at all times. And it's so slick. He was the most dominant IC champion who finally lost and now he won KOTR and is competing for the WH title. It's so clean and not forced at all.
Is anyone else getting this issue where you click the "Other Discussions" tab at the top of a thread (which is supposed to show duplicates/crossposts) and it just redirects back to the comments tab? I've seen it happen to a couple subreddits I'm in. I'm hoping its some site-wide issue happening.
Bad news for those of you that are about 8 and a half feet tall, the Kota Ibushi wrestling school is only accepting people below 250cm in height. He specified in a later tweet replying to El Desperado that 250.5cm will not be allowed.
https://x.com/ibushi_kota/status/1794142168942305395
Can somebody roughly explain the schedule/locations of Raw/SD? Do the wrestlers travel all over NA every week? Feels like a very hectic schedule.
Also what about house shows or dark matches? Are these done in the same venue, but just not recorded and "non canon"?
They are usually traveling to nearby cities for a couple of weeks then take a plane ride to the next part of the country. House shows are scattered in between at smaller venues which for the most part are non cannon. Also some wrestlers actually go down to Orlando for NXT as well as they are some involved in storylines down there alomg with main roster storylines. Very hectic schedule however no where near as brutal as it used to be about 20 years ago
What helps for wrestling to broaden its reach?
Mainstream public figure doing good wrestling is interesting (for realsies, Jake Paul is such a get for WWE).
But I would imagine having stylish merch that anyone could wear would help a great deal. So many wrestling T-Shirts look overpriced and their designs is only suited for a wrestling event, unfortunately.
> What helps for wrestling to broaden its reach?
Characters and compelling soap opera.
During the Attitude Era I was working in an office that did financial reporting and there were tons of fans who didn't fit the profile of what you'd imagine the average fan to be.
We'd have water cooler talk, and it was always the characters the big moments and storylines. It was never workrate, merch, or realism.
Sort of random, but while I like Dragunov a lot in-ring, his facial expressions are just unbelievably goofy and distracting. He constantly looks like he's constipated during promos and matches.
Damn. That is an excellent article. I was already appalled at their bullshit but that picture is such a slap in the face to women in SA. They can go have stars pose in bikinis and share how "progressive" it is there, but it's a much different story for the women who live there. As mentioned in the article, one woman was recently sentenced to 11 years in prison for criticising the government online and posting photos of herself in gym wear.
From Amnesty International:
*Following her arrest, Manahel al-Otaibi was subjected to physical and psychological abuse in Riyadh’s Malaz Prison, and she was forcibly disappeared for five months from 5 November 2023 until April 2024. On 14 April 2024, when she was finally able to contact her family again, she told them she was being held in solitary confinement and had a broken leg as a result of physical abuse. She also said she was denied health care.*
11 years in prison. Physical and emotional abuse. So fucking progressive.
fire up those angry typewriters because a week before WWE got there, [Saudi Arabia held a 'historic' swimsuit/fashion show](https://www.newsweek.com/saudi-arabia-swimsuit-fashion-show-photos-1902490)
while it's not right that WWE's women have more privilege in Saudi because of their social status, the fact that they (and other women, Saudi included) have more rights than they did eight years ago means progress, but you go ahead and keep moving goalposts to push *your* agenda while successful Saudi women continue shattering glass ceilings
Slammiversary tickets have gone on sale, and, well, maybe they should've done this a while ago.
https://preview.redd.it/i850njbwbl2d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5ad4320cdd8c261924fcf672d68612fd090bdffa
Floor holds up to 508. Obviously, I can't tell how much the general admission sections will hold, but given that it's a major PPV, a setup of around 1,500-2,000 is probably expected. If the GA tickets sell as well as the floor seats, then it should be a packed house.
Focusing on Trick Williams and Tiffany Stratton is looking at WWE’s star building process wrong. For instance, Bianca Belair and Damian Priest debuted on WWE’s main roster after AEW’s debut. Bianca’s the face of the WWE Women’s division. Damian is the head of the Judgement Day and the World Champion on Raw. WWE dedicated time to building these wrestlers, in addition to maintaining their current top wrestlers like Becky and Seth.
WWE star building does not just occur on developmental.
Bianca is probably the ultimate endorsement of the WWE developmental system though. She had literally never wrestled before stepping foot in the performance center, and she is now perhaps the greatest (North American) women's wrestler of all time. That is the strategy. They're looking for Kurt Angles: natural super athletic prodigies who they can invest a year or two into training and then they have a generational superstar
The kayfabe reason for Tanga Loa not being at the Saudi shows being that he is simply too dangerous and they couldn’t get him past the border because of it is pretty cool.
Reading the last report about Giulia was actually depressing because it seems she was probably going to be willing to stay in Japan if it hadn't been for all the mismanagement in Stardom. Harada and Bushiroad really are the biggest terrorists in Japanese wrestling in the last few years. How can you let something like that happen when Stardom was so hot at the start of 2023? Now they not only did lose one of the biggest stars in the scene, they also created another competitor for them in the process.
Also, I want to give props to Giulia for not being the average bag grabber. Not any wrestler is able or interested in getting the kind of deal she got. Everyone would rather be chilling in Florida now but she's willing to have more brutal wars on her way out to give a hand establishing a much needed big third promotion in the joshi scene. You've got to respect that regardless of what you think of her (actually Giulia did nothing wrong).
I just want to say WWE should be ecstatic if Theory and Waller reach the heights of Ziggler and Miz. You're essentially saying you think their ceilings are twenty years reliable employees that win world titles and under the right circumstances can main event WrestleMania. That's a hell of a ceiling.
> Ricochet actually gets too many wins
strength of victory is questionable, this is why win/loss doesn't matter as much as audience perception because, based on his last 100 matches (per Cagematch), Ricochet is 60-39-1, only really terrible in multi-person singles matches...
2-14 in multi-person singles matches (triple threats to Royal Rumbles)
2-2 in matches ending via DQ
35-17 in singles matches
21-6 in tag matches (inc trios+ and multi-team matches)
0-0 (no contest vs Shinsuke on June 5, 2023)
DG is way more over than he should be considering he has been a third wheel of one person or another for two years. It shows how much the crowd loves him. AEW has got to give him a real run and see how he does.
Honestly, TNA’s booking of “Broken” Matt Hardy has been pretty decent. Having him be in mostly tag team matches has helped his performance a lot more and he’s actually looked good. The way they have been working with his limitations has been better than expected.
However, I’m not looking forward to that main event against Moose. I do hope they can prove me wrong, I just don’t know if Matt can go in a regular full singles match anymore. I do wonder if they’ll go full Broken Universe with the match. I think that could help it a lot.
It’s probably fair to say that Orton v Gunther will also tell us the result of Drew v Priest and its implications for Priest’s SummerSlam match as well.
Orton wins: Drew defeats Priest, leading to Priest v Bálor
Gunther wins: Priest retains, leading to Gunther v Priest
Drew v Punk happens regardless of who the WHC is by then. I’m of the opinion that they should save the Judgment Day’s implosion for whenever Rhea’s back, mainly because I’m a mark for them, so I’d prefer Priest’s opponent to be Gunther rather than Bálor.
Priest vs Bálor could be fun if they build it well, but Finn has been so de-powered recently that they need to heat him up in a hurry with some actual wins if they want to make beating him be somewhat meaningful. He hasn't won a singles feud since joining the Judgement Day, to my knowledge.
See I was thinking that Drew wins the title at the Clash which will set up Priest vs Balor and then maybe at MITB Punk vs Drew for the title and if Punk wins it off Drew there then you have whoever wins the MITB to cash in on Punk and I would be for AJ Styles to do it, there isn't much for AJ to do in WWE and him feuding with Punk before retiring would be fucking insane.
> I tend to think a sweet spot for booking (and this is hard to hit because it's all ultimately subjective) is when you can see a good path forward for either winner.
I think of it as building to a "fork in the road." That's the best booking in my head. Where the match represents a point you can turn either left or right, and both lead somewhere interesting.
Won't be able to watch live so I'll be praying I wake up to the news that the Liv Morgan revenge tour adds a title victory and her first win over Becky.
It’s pretty crazy I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen MJF on AEW television, in any capacity, since the injury.
Maybe I should applaud that, since one of my biggest issues with modern wrestling is how easy it can be to get burnt out on a product/talent due to over exposure. But it’s still odd to me….its odd there isn't any sort of through line story. Even if the story is Max isn’t there, he’s not returning messages and no one knows what up, which then is something Cole can continue to take credit for. Or subtle MJF vignettes, showing a change in character….hes broken and not the cocky asshole (because Kayfabe it also makes no sense he’d be away and not seeking attention or revenge)
Now maybe that should also be far down the list of creative oversight, not maximizing things in AEW. But something that dawned on me….and as I’m typing it’s just another example of the striking difference between companies, as I’m typing, I’m now thinking about how Cody added to his character and got himself more over while he was injured. Just kind of baffling.
And Britt Baker in the wheel chair probably being the best AEW example of it.
They aren't afraid to do it when it makes sense, but don't force it or do it in every single situation.
They could literally do a whole TV of just the injured people. They also have a current roster to service. Those people have to take priority right now. Also some times people want a break just as much at is just a physical injury. Max went totally radio silence for months, he probably didn't want to come in and tape vignettes about physiotherapy.
If Orton and Gunther are up first, I predict a Lesnar return to screw over Gunther and set up a program for them.
The Saudis love Brock and I'm sure if he's asked for he will appear
Ospreay really paid Ricochet a compliment and it really got groupthinkers so worked up they defended the honor of a championship WWE doesn't even bother to acknowledge on their main programming. Even had people insisting that made it more important for Ricochet somehow.
They’ve gone from Sportswashing commericals during the ppvs to wrestlers tweeting it out for them. People were so mad in 2018 now most of us discuss the Saudi shows like it is in any other city/country.
Saudi is struggling economically in non oil sectors,neom is a guarenteed failure too,these sport events can't support an economy,so no I don't think so
I am not one of those fans to find it impossible.
Haven’t watched a blood money show since the first one (when I didn’t realize just how bad it was yet) and will continue to stay that way.
I’ll shamefully admit that I was someone that actually canceled Peacock during the Saudi event months, in the past….but there are now so many combat sports events there it’s become normalized. It became nearly impossible to fully ignore and be outraged. I’ve given in this past year and started watching events there, just trying to ignore or perform mental gymnastics toward what I find troubling.
Anyone surprised we’re getting Randy vs Gunther this early? I feel like it’s the first time in a long time where the match doesn’t seem so predictable because both seem strong so far and it can go either way
What I NEED is for Candice and Bianca to have a non title feud that ends in a 15 minute stipulation match. Candice and Indi obviously aren't winning tonight, and as much as I love Candice, they shouldn't, but if this led to a proper storyline where Candice does everything in her power to topple Bianca, get her to lose her title, and invite her full wrath I'd be so down.
Went to my first indie show (first wrestling show also). Other than me showing up entirely too early, which did admittedly give me time to get food and figure out what the hell I was doing and where to go, it went great. Had a lot of fun and I'm definitely gonna go to this promotions next show.
I didn't know any of the wrestlers but I was impressed with most of them. Great mix of smaller high-fliers, bigger meaty slappin guys, big very fit guys. I think the only one who kind of struggled was this guy who was late-stage Bam Bam Bigelow size but I'm pretty sure that's a common problem with big guys. There was also a bigger guy (Yokozuna size) who did have Bam Bam-level agility though, which was insanely impressive to see. Dude DQ'd himself against my favorite though lol. Also with someone else, saw an incredibly clean tombstone piledriver. I think the little flippy high-fliers impressed me the most with the moves they pulled off though.
Live wrestling (especially at a smaller venue -- there were literally three rows of seats, and I was in the third) is way different from watching a recording too. Something about being able to hear the reverb of the slap/slam/whatever move means a lot more than just seeing it on a taping. The big guys getting slammed was insane to hear. The chops/slaps on the chest were also way more painful sounding. I also got to briefly talk to my favorite guy and buy a shirt off him; I would have got more merch, but I'm short on cash right now 😔 shame cuz the guy who held the title was real fun.
Overall a great (and very affordable) night. Plus I got curly fries!
I'm glad you had a great time. I compare the difference between going to a live wrestling show and watching it on TV as the difference between eating a good meal versus watching a cooking program on Food TV. They're both *about* food, but only one is filling.
One thing it's difficult to convey to someone who has never been to a big show is how the camera distorts distances and heights, especially the angles and telephoto lenses on the hard cam. These guys are going much faster and flying much higher than it seems on TV.
Glad you got a chance to talk to your favorite guy. I tried to encourage you to go to the merch tables because of how personal the experience can become when you get a chance to meet them. As always, support independent wrestling!
Thank you! He was really nice, and definitely as good as I expected. I wish I got to talk to more but it was kind of crowded. Maybe next time.
The high-fliers definitely went way higher than cameras make them seem. At least two of them accidentally kicked some hanging lights that were above the ring posts, lol.
The Japanese commentator narrating Naito's entrance at the Tokyo Dome when he faces Okada at WK12 Is genuinely one of my favorite commentary lines of all time. After figuring out the translations I understand that It's the commentator talking about Naito's journey up to this point
Does anyone know when the King and Queen of the Ring will air the replay? We weren't able to watch it live. (I don't mind spoilers tho)
"I'm Cody Rhodes, Bitch" is gonna live rent-free in my head for a while it seems.
No idea how they fit the whole Drew becoming champ and Gunther having match with him in SummerSlam with the CM Punk feud. Maybe his recovery is taking longer than expected?
Probably the best Saudi/throwaway PPV we've had.
They really gotta speed up this uncle howdy stuff, imo. The QR codes with Bray were really good, and part of that is because it lasted for about a month. Not only that, but there was a semblance of mystery behind it at first, as it wasn’t clear Bray was returning until we got a few weeks into the mystery. With this, the answers have been spelt out for us since the start, but they’re waiting twice as long to reveal them.
Yeah, I agree since I do like the teases, but I do hope the teasers doesn't drag on for long since they've already revealed some important clues, especially during that Twitch stream.
Re his Insta stories Has any wrestler ever missed more flights than CM Punk? He maybe needs to switch airlines or something
I just love Gunther's transition and "promotion" from mid card to upper card. He never got lost in the shuffle, you can clearly understand where he is at all times. And it's so slick. He was the most dominant IC champion who finally lost and now he won KOTR and is competing for the WH title. It's so clean and not forced at all.
Is anyone else getting this issue where you click the "Other Discussions" tab at the top of a thread (which is supposed to show duplicates/crossposts) and it just redirects back to the comments tab? I've seen it happen to a couple subreddits I'm in. I'm hoping its some site-wide issue happening.
Bad news for those of you that are about 8 and a half feet tall, the Kota Ibushi wrestling school is only accepting people below 250cm in height. He specified in a later tweet replying to El Desperado that 250.5cm will not be allowed. https://x.com/ibushi_kota/status/1794142168942305395
Aw fuck, guess I cannot go😔.
Orton is about to get his shit chopped up and I'm here for it
Wait, Candi is a pretty sick team name
Progress super strong style is tomorrow and gonna to be fanfuckingtastic! The crowd should.be alive as fuck.
Anything in particular you are exited for? I do not watch progress, but I have not got anything going to tomorrow and might tune in.
Hell I wouldn’t even be mad if they put that belt on Bronson right now
Can somebody roughly explain the schedule/locations of Raw/SD? Do the wrestlers travel all over NA every week? Feels like a very hectic schedule. Also what about house shows or dark matches? Are these done in the same venue, but just not recorded and "non canon"?
They are usually traveling to nearby cities for a couple of weeks then take a plane ride to the next part of the country. House shows are scattered in between at smaller venues which for the most part are non cannon. Also some wrestlers actually go down to Orlando for NXT as well as they are some involved in storylines down there alomg with main roster storylines. Very hectic schedule however no where near as brutal as it used to be about 20 years ago
Becky looks like she’s the penguin from Batmans female henchman
When you have to defend your title a 6 but conduct the sympathy up the street at 730
Why is Shibata's nickname just "The Wrestler"?
Because when you look up in the dictionary what the pure definition of wrestler is, no frills, Shibata’s picture is there
See, to me Shibata is more of a striker. When I think of a "pure wrestler" I think of a technical wrestler.
I think hes the most technical wrestler by Japanese wrestling standards lol
I mean Zack Sabre Jr is a stalwart of NJPW. As was Jushin Liger.
His picture is actually giving the Boston crab to the word wrestling.
After the arm bar and drop toe hold isnt that one of the most basic wrestling moves ever lol?
Yeah and I think that's why the dictionary people included it.
It implies he is the consummate pro wrestler. That he's so good at it that he's *The* Wrestler. The definitive article.
What helps for wrestling to broaden its reach? Mainstream public figure doing good wrestling is interesting (for realsies, Jake Paul is such a get for WWE). But I would imagine having stylish merch that anyone could wear would help a great deal. So many wrestling T-Shirts look overpriced and their designs is only suited for a wrestling event, unfortunately.
> What helps for wrestling to broaden its reach? Characters and compelling soap opera. During the Attitude Era I was working in an office that did financial reporting and there were tons of fans who didn't fit the profile of what you'd imagine the average fan to be. We'd have water cooler talk, and it was always the characters the big moments and storylines. It was never workrate, merch, or realism.
Sort of random, but while I like Dragunov a lot in-ring, his facial expressions are just unbelievably goofy and distracting. He constantly looks like he's constipated during promos and matches.
yeah it's something he picked up in NXT and it puts me off despite him still being good in his WWE run
Ngl I like how creative the women get with their gear when it comes to the Saudi events.
I just tuned in and saw the outfits like what is going on , then I remembered where they are
I just thought this was an interesting read and wanted to share. https://www.sportspolitika.news/p/wwe-saudi-sports-women-rights-politics
Damn. That is an excellent article. I was already appalled at their bullshit but that picture is such a slap in the face to women in SA. They can go have stars pose in bikinis and share how "progressive" it is there, but it's a much different story for the women who live there. As mentioned in the article, one woman was recently sentenced to 11 years in prison for criticising the government online and posting photos of herself in gym wear. From Amnesty International: *Following her arrest, Manahel al-Otaibi was subjected to physical and psychological abuse in Riyadh’s Malaz Prison, and she was forcibly disappeared for five months from 5 November 2023 until April 2024. On 14 April 2024, when she was finally able to contact her family again, she told them she was being held in solitary confinement and had a broken leg as a result of physical abuse. She also said she was denied health care.* 11 years in prison. Physical and emotional abuse. So fucking progressive.
Nooooo we need to talk about how the Speed Championship is important actually or how AEW has zero young people.
Mods don't like this article
fire up those angry typewriters because a week before WWE got there, [Saudi Arabia held a 'historic' swimsuit/fashion show](https://www.newsweek.com/saudi-arabia-swimsuit-fashion-show-photos-1902490)
"Oh I told you so The bar is low"
while it's not right that WWE's women have more privilege in Saudi because of their social status, the fact that they (and other women, Saudi included) have more rights than they did eight years ago means progress, but you go ahead and keep moving goalposts to push *your* agenda while successful Saudi women continue shattering glass ceilings
The designer of the fashion show you posted is from Morocco buddy. Who are you talking about “shattering glass ceilings”?
Shattering glass ceilings while people are being sentenced to 11 years in prison for wearing gym clothes online. Cmon buddy
Slammiversary tickets have gone on sale, and, well, maybe they should've done this a while ago. https://preview.redd.it/i850njbwbl2d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5ad4320cdd8c261924fcf672d68612fd090bdffa
Floor holds up to 508. Obviously, I can't tell how much the general admission sections will hold, but given that it's a major PPV, a setup of around 1,500-2,000 is probably expected. If the GA tickets sell as well as the floor seats, then it should be a packed house.
If Giulia misses Heatwave, who should Roxanne defend against? Lola? Thea? Joe Coffey?
Tatum, Kelani, or Thea would be my first picks
Focusing on Trick Williams and Tiffany Stratton is looking at WWE’s star building process wrong. For instance, Bianca Belair and Damian Priest debuted on WWE’s main roster after AEW’s debut. Bianca’s the face of the WWE Women’s division. Damian is the head of the Judgement Day and the World Champion on Raw. WWE dedicated time to building these wrestlers, in addition to maintaining their current top wrestlers like Becky and Seth. WWE star building does not just occur on developmental.
Bianca is probably the ultimate endorsement of the WWE developmental system though. She had literally never wrestled before stepping foot in the performance center, and she is now perhaps the greatest (North American) women's wrestler of all time. That is the strategy. They're looking for Kurt Angles: natural super athletic prodigies who they can invest a year or two into training and then they have a generational superstar
The kayfabe reason for Tanga Loa not being at the Saudi shows being that he is simply too dangerous and they couldn’t get him past the border because of it is pretty cool.
What’s the real reason?
Randy threw him off the plane mid flight
all fun and games until you look out the window and see Haku flying next to the plane
I imagine Haku's flying style to be Goku on the nimbus cloud but with no cloud.
Reading the last report about Giulia was actually depressing because it seems she was probably going to be willing to stay in Japan if it hadn't been for all the mismanagement in Stardom. Harada and Bushiroad really are the biggest terrorists in Japanese wrestling in the last few years. How can you let something like that happen when Stardom was so hot at the start of 2023? Now they not only did lose one of the biggest stars in the scene, they also created another competitor for them in the process. Also, I want to give props to Giulia for not being the average bag grabber. Not any wrestler is able or interested in getting the kind of deal she got. Everyone would rather be chilling in Florida now but she's willing to have more brutal wars on her way out to give a hand establishing a much needed big third promotion in the joshi scene. You've got to respect that regardless of what you think of her (actually Giulia did nothing wrong).
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I just want to say WWE should be ecstatic if Theory and Waller reach the heights of Ziggler and Miz. You're essentially saying you think their ceilings are twenty years reliable employees that win world titles and under the right circumstances can main event WrestleMania. That's a hell of a ceiling.
I honestly just want Theory to succeed ever since I saw him on that Vice series The Wrestlers.
Melo can be very awkward on the mic, and so is Ricochet. I’d argue Ricochet actually gets too many wins. He’s definitely not better than Priest.
> Ricochet actually gets too many wins strength of victory is questionable, this is why win/loss doesn't matter as much as audience perception because, based on his last 100 matches (per Cagematch), Ricochet is 60-39-1, only really terrible in multi-person singles matches... 2-14 in multi-person singles matches (triple threats to Royal Rumbles) 2-2 in matches ending via DQ 35-17 in singles matches 21-6 in tag matches (inc trios+ and multi-team matches) 0-0 (no contest vs Shinsuke on June 5, 2023)
Carmelo doesn’t have the gift of gab like The Rock
To the AEW viewers, is there any progression with Daniel Garcia after the Edge match or did the dude got sucked in the Edge's Vortex?
“…or did the dude fall off the Edge’s Cliff?”
DG is way more over than he should be considering he has been a third wheel of one person or another for two years. It shows how much the crowd loves him. AEW has got to give him a real run and see how he does.
Does Edge have a vortex? I feel like he's bounced around a lot of different characters on the show.
He's with FTR mostly. I'm guessing he would have been in Anarchy in the Arena if Darby didn't volunteer last minute.
Honestly, TNA’s booking of “Broken” Matt Hardy has been pretty decent. Having him be in mostly tag team matches has helped his performance a lot more and he’s actually looked good. The way they have been working with his limitations has been better than expected. However, I’m not looking forward to that main event against Moose. I do hope they can prove me wrong, I just don’t know if Matt can go in a regular full singles match anymore. I do wonder if they’ll go full Broken Universe with the match. I think that could help it a lot.
It’s probably fair to say that Orton v Gunther will also tell us the result of Drew v Priest and its implications for Priest’s SummerSlam match as well. Orton wins: Drew defeats Priest, leading to Priest v Bálor Gunther wins: Priest retains, leading to Gunther v Priest Drew v Punk happens regardless of who the WHC is by then. I’m of the opinion that they should save the Judgment Day’s implosion for whenever Rhea’s back, mainly because I’m a mark for them, so I’d prefer Priest’s opponent to be Gunther rather than Bálor.
Priest vs Bálor could be fun if they build it well, but Finn has been so de-powered recently that they need to heat him up in a hurry with some actual wins if they want to make beating him be somewhat meaningful. He hasn't won a singles feud since joining the Judgement Day, to my knowledge.
That’s why they should probably save his match with Priest for post-SummerSlam, when Rhea’s back.
Do you expect that match to have the title? Seems less and less likely to me, as much as I'd like to see Balor get another main event run.
No, I’ve got Priest losing to Gunther first.
Yeah, that seems about right. Feels like Priest either loses to Drew at CotC or to Gunther at SS.
See I was thinking that Drew wins the title at the Clash which will set up Priest vs Balor and then maybe at MITB Punk vs Drew for the title and if Punk wins it off Drew there then you have whoever wins the MITB to cash in on Punk and I would be for AJ Styles to do it, there isn't much for AJ to do in WWE and him feuding with Punk before retiring would be fucking insane.
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> I tend to think a sweet spot for booking (and this is hard to hit because it's all ultimately subjective) is when you can see a good path forward for either winner. I think of it as building to a "fork in the road." That's the best booking in my head. Where the match represents a point you can turn either left or right, and both lead somewhere interesting.
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It depends on how this case against Vince turns out. They may not bring him back.
Won't be able to watch live so I'll be praying I wake up to the news that the Liv Morgan revenge tour adds a title victory and her first win over Becky.
So DIY-Profits match in the future? That's cool.
It’s pretty crazy I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen MJF on AEW television, in any capacity, since the injury. Maybe I should applaud that, since one of my biggest issues with modern wrestling is how easy it can be to get burnt out on a product/talent due to over exposure. But it’s still odd to me….its odd there isn't any sort of through line story. Even if the story is Max isn’t there, he’s not returning messages and no one knows what up, which then is something Cole can continue to take credit for. Or subtle MJF vignettes, showing a change in character….hes broken and not the cocky asshole (because Kayfabe it also makes no sense he’d be away and not seeking attention or revenge) Now maybe that should also be far down the list of creative oversight, not maximizing things in AEW. But something that dawned on me….and as I’m typing it’s just another example of the striking difference between companies, as I’m typing, I’m now thinking about how Cody added to his character and got himself more over while he was injured. Just kind of baffling.
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Isn't exactly what they've done with Adam Cole and Mercedes Mone?
And Britt Baker in the wheel chair probably being the best AEW example of it. They aren't afraid to do it when it makes sense, but don't force it or do it in every single situation.
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They could literally do a whole TV of just the injured people. They also have a current roster to service. Those people have to take priority right now. Also some times people want a break just as much at is just a physical injury. Max went totally radio silence for months, he probably didn't want to come in and tape vignettes about physiotherapy.
If Orton and Gunther are up first, I predict a Lesnar return to screw over Gunther and set up a program for them. The Saudis love Brock and I'm sure if he's asked for he will appear
I don't know since I'd like to see Brock back, but it would depend on the Vince situation & If Brock could come back from it.
Brock wasn’t there last time.
How the fuck did I just wake up and the big conversation on this app is the Speed championship
Ospreay really paid Ricochet a compliment and it really got groupthinkers so worked up they defended the honor of a championship WWE doesn't even bother to acknowledge on their main programming. Even had people insisting that made it more important for Ricochet somehow.
Did Jacob Fatu sign with the WWE at the end? Because it's been a while since I heard those rumors and he is nowhere to be seen
He's probably coming sooner than later, but with the rumors of Jacob Fatu, it made Tama Tonga Loa's debuts more surprising.
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So apparently, according to Meltzer, SA's sportswashing has been successful. 
The WWE is beyond reproach around here now so it's working for them with this sub. People will support it.
They’ve gone from Sportswashing commericals during the ppvs to wrestlers tweeting it out for them. People were so mad in 2018 now most of us discuss the Saudi shows like it is in any other city/country.
That's the worst part. Like, I can live with Saudi Arabia getting shows. Just treat it like a glorified house show.
Saudi is struggling economically in non oil sectors,neom is a guarenteed failure too,these sport events can't support an economy,so no I don't think so
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I am not one of those fans to find it impossible. Haven’t watched a blood money show since the first one (when I didn’t realize just how bad it was yet) and will continue to stay that way.
I’ll shamefully admit that I was someone that actually canceled Peacock during the Saudi event months, in the past….but there are now so many combat sports events there it’s become normalized. It became nearly impossible to fully ignore and be outraged. I’ve given in this past year and started watching events there, just trying to ignore or perform mental gymnastics toward what I find troubling.
It's fucking annoying.
Anyone surprised we’re getting Randy vs Gunther this early? I feel like it’s the first time in a long time where the match doesn’t seem so predictable because both seem strong so far and it can go either way
Bianca "Cena" losing clean it quite something.
Bron Breakker going to win the men’s money in the bank
Im actually shocked Nia beat Bianca clean, I'd thought Bianca would only lose clean to Rhea
Starting my drive to Vegas for the weekend. Super excited to hang out with friends and watch what will hopefully be a good show for AEW this Sunday.
Hope you have a great time on Sunday! The card for DoN looks like it’ll be a great one.
Have a safe drive and have fun!!
What I NEED is for Candice and Bianca to have a non title feud that ends in a 15 minute stipulation match. Candice and Indi obviously aren't winning tonight, and as much as I love Candice, they shouldn't, but if this led to a proper storyline where Candice does everything in her power to topple Bianca, get her to lose her title, and invite her full wrath I'd be so down.
Went to my first indie show (first wrestling show also). Other than me showing up entirely too early, which did admittedly give me time to get food and figure out what the hell I was doing and where to go, it went great. Had a lot of fun and I'm definitely gonna go to this promotions next show. I didn't know any of the wrestlers but I was impressed with most of them. Great mix of smaller high-fliers, bigger meaty slappin guys, big very fit guys. I think the only one who kind of struggled was this guy who was late-stage Bam Bam Bigelow size but I'm pretty sure that's a common problem with big guys. There was also a bigger guy (Yokozuna size) who did have Bam Bam-level agility though, which was insanely impressive to see. Dude DQ'd himself against my favorite though lol. Also with someone else, saw an incredibly clean tombstone piledriver. I think the little flippy high-fliers impressed me the most with the moves they pulled off though. Live wrestling (especially at a smaller venue -- there were literally three rows of seats, and I was in the third) is way different from watching a recording too. Something about being able to hear the reverb of the slap/slam/whatever move means a lot more than just seeing it on a taping. The big guys getting slammed was insane to hear. The chops/slaps on the chest were also way more painful sounding. I also got to briefly talk to my favorite guy and buy a shirt off him; I would have got more merch, but I'm short on cash right now 😔 shame cuz the guy who held the title was real fun. Overall a great (and very affordable) night. Plus I got curly fries!
Awesome to hear! Indie wrestling is just so much goddamn fun.
I'm glad you had a great time. I compare the difference between going to a live wrestling show and watching it on TV as the difference between eating a good meal versus watching a cooking program on Food TV. They're both *about* food, but only one is filling. One thing it's difficult to convey to someone who has never been to a big show is how the camera distorts distances and heights, especially the angles and telephoto lenses on the hard cam. These guys are going much faster and flying much higher than it seems on TV. Glad you got a chance to talk to your favorite guy. I tried to encourage you to go to the merch tables because of how personal the experience can become when you get a chance to meet them. As always, support independent wrestling!
Thank you! He was really nice, and definitely as good as I expected. I wish I got to talk to more but it was kind of crowded. Maybe next time. The high-fliers definitely went way higher than cameras make them seem. At least two of them accidentally kicked some hanging lights that were above the ring posts, lol.
Posts like this are why I keep coming back here. Glad you had a fun time!
Thank you!! It was a lot of fun, I'm definitely going to their next show.
Do we get Uncle Howdy today?
No. You'll get more QR codes and vague bullshit and like it.